


Gone

by Not_Jakes_Fox



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Because I like variety, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, M/M, Not all the Newsies are gay, Other, POV First Person, Physical Abuse, Post-Strike, Self-Esteem Issues, Stockholm Syndrome, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2019-11-04 05:56:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17892794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_Jakes_Fox/pseuds/Not_Jakes_Fox
Summary: Albert gets taken. Race doesn't know who did it. He does know Albert didn't go willingly, especially after their last conversation.He also knows he's not letting his best friend just disappear.





	1. Please Don't Go

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning. 
> 
> Albie has Stockholm Syndrome.
> 
> And PTSD. 
> 
> I hate his mom. I know some of what he says to defend her sounds ridiculous, that's literally what Stockholm Syndrome does.
> 
> I kinda hate this story bc I want Race and Albie to be happy.
> 
> But they will okay be at some point.
> 
> I swear.

Mine died when I was barely old enough to remember her. Last thing I saw of her was when he...

Mine never told me to be more of a man. Mine never told me I wasn't good enough. Mine never hit me, never screamed at me, never acted in a way that made me wanna be sick. She never backed me into a corner so she could take sick pleasure in my terrorized sobs.

Mine never told her friends I was sick in the head. Mine never told me I was wrong, that I was hurting people just by being me. Mine never treated me like a nuisance for just saying I was hungry, for asking questions, for bothering her when she was busy seducing a man that wasn't hers.

Mine never did any of those things.

I almost wonder if i'm lucky mine died before I could get to know her.

Albie isn't lucky.

Albie's does all those things and more. Albie's screams repugnant things at him. Albie's takes the money he works hard for every day without ever even thanking him. Albie's hits him when things don't go her way, or when they do. Albie's hurts him.

Albie's hurts him every day.

"Will you come back later? After you give her the money?"

He turns away from me, staring at the cracks in the wood floor.

"Maybe it won't be so bad tonight." He whispers. "She's tryna get better, Tony, she really is, she tells me all the time."

"An' you believe that?" I feel my face flush. I hate when he defends her, its like he doesn't see what she does to him.

"She's been nicer, honest she has. She hasn't hit me at all lately." He gives me an earnest look, full of such conviction it makes me want to pull my hair out. "She said she was proud of me yesterday."

"Oh, she's prouda you, yeah that's great. Albie, do you even remember where you got that shiner from?" I accusatorily point to his still swollen eye. Last week it was her gift to him for being out later than usual with me. It was my birthday. Albie's the only one that knows about it. He bought me a cup of coffee from a drug store and even got the girl to put real chocolate in it somehow, since he knows it's my favorite. We spent the most of that evening sitting on top of a building sharing the coffee and talking. It was one of the best days I've ever had. Albie's pitiful excuse for a mum made him pay for it dearly that night though, because he was late and he didn't provide as much of that precious money she loves so much. I feel a strange ache in my chest thinking about it; Albie knew what she'd do to him for spending extra time with me, he went through all that just to be with me that day.

He looks back at me, defiant. "What, you think I should just turn my back on her? You want me to just let my own mum starve because she ain't perfect? I'm all she got Racer!" He snaps, taking a step toward me. I automatically back up, feeling my stomach drop. I'm used to Albert being angry with me, not at me. "But what would you know about that? You wanna talk remembering things? How's about you tell me the last time you did something for your fam-"

He cuts off his rant. In his silence I notice hot wet tears trailing down my own face. I swallow and look away.

"I'm sorry Tony." He breathes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. God, I'm even worse than she says." I feel his hand brush my shoulder and I immediately recoil, still fighting the shock of what he said.

Awful silence.

If anybody else were to talk to me like that, I'd just feed him his teeth and that'd be that. Not Albert though. I can shake off what anybody says to me but him. What he just said dredges up every weak point and insecurity that I would never let anyone know but him. He knows what happened to my family... how guilty I feel for not being good enough save her.

I risk looking at him again, regretting it fast. He looks down, ashamed, afraid of himself. I don't like what Albie said to me, but I like seeing him hurt even less. He gets that look a lot after the really bad dealings with his mum, and every time I see it, it's like getting my heart ripped out. "I'll see you tomorrow." He mutters, his voice hollow. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't mean any of it. I swear I didn't mean it."

I catch his arm as he turns to leave. He flinches, but lets me hold him. "Al, don't go." I plead, my voice catching. "Please don't go. Forget about her, just stay here at the lodging house tonight."

He stares at the floor again, not able to look back at me.

"She'll survive for one night." I barter, desperate to keep him away from her as long as I can. "Just stay with us." I swallow. "Stay with me." My grip on his arm tightens as I feel my panic continue to rise. "Don't leave me, Albert." I whisper.

Albie's free hand comes up to rest on top of mine. He looks up to meet my gaze, now just inches away from my face. I feel my chest tighten, and I fight to keep my breath even.

We stay locked like this for a moment, staring into each other, eyes wet. "Al-"

He suddenly wraps his arms tightly around my torso, knocking the wind outta me. I wrap my arms around his neck and hold him as tight as I can, not wanting to let him disappear back to that witch.

I'm not sure how long we stand here. I hold onto my best friend, feeling his warmth, his breath on my neck, how he smells, the way his hands rub up and down on my back. I can feel how human, how alive he is. I feel safe like this, safer than I could anywhere else.

Eventually Albert pulls away.

"I gotta go" he sighs. I catch his hand as he's pulling back, and he interlaces our fingers. I feel my heart pounding.

"You don't have to." I whisper, tightening my grip on his hand.

"I don't want to." He says softly, before taking my chin and leaning his lips close to my ear. "The only place I've ever felt safe is with you, Anthony. You're the best thing that ever happened to me, I don't understand why you even care when i'm so-" I hear a small sob.

"Hey, hey, you're my best thing too." I say gently, using my free hand to rub his shoulder. He pulls back and then rests his forehead against mine. "And you're wrong," I continue, "about you being worthless. You don't deserve what she does to you."

"I do, she's my mum, Race, if I don't help her than it's all my fault." I start to object, but he raises his free hand to touch my mouth, silencing me. "If I can just do good enough to help her get better, then it'll all be fine. I'll be back in the morning. "

With that he steps back to leave. He stops at the door to look back at me one last time.

"Promise?"

"Promise." He whispers gently.

Then he's gone.


	2. Entry

_"You're the best thing that ever happened to me."_  
  
_He starts to pull away._  
  
_"Wait..."_ I croak _"Albe-"_  
  
" _Racer?_ " _He responds, still floating further and further away_.  
  
_"Don't go back to her. Please."_ I groan.  
  
_"Shh, you're okay. It's just us, Racer."_  
  
I feel hands on my shoulders. _"Wake up, Racer. Gotta sell."_  
  
Slowly the room comes into focus. I groan again.  
  
"Morning, Elmer."  
  
"Mornin, Sunshine!" He chirps, giving me his infectious smile. "Musta been some dream you was having,  'Don't leave me, I need you.'" He parrots with a smirk. "Sounded like you were hurting for somebody. Anybody I know?"  
  
"Albert was having a bad night yesterday." I say flatly.  
  
Elmer's face quickly grows more serious. "Oh." He may not know everything I do, but Elmer's spent enough time with me and Albie to know a little more than the rest of the fellas.  
  
"Anyway, what's got you so chipper this morning?" I ask lightly. I dont wanna think about what might've happened to Albert until I see him at the gate and I can just talk to him. "Ya got somebody on your mind?"  
  
Elmer blushes and gives me a shove before turning to grab his vest.  
  
"Wait, for real?" I demand. "Who is it?"  
  
Elmer and I trade words back and forth as we get ready and then walk to the gate together. He's my roommate in the Lodging House, and my best friend other than Al. We usually spend our mornings talking about whatever's going on in our lives as we get dressed and eat breakfast. More than once, he's talked me through when Albert and I have had a fight. We may not be quite as close, but I can't imagine starting my mornings without Elmer's bright smile and his optimistic way of looking at the world.  
  
This morning, he tells me about this special somebody who's got him in a mood. Apparently, while Elmer was sick last week, whoever it was took care of him and slept with him while he was getting over his fever.  
  
"I give up." I sigh dramatically as we reach the gate. "Maybe Albert can get you to tell us who this mystery nurse of yours is."  
  
He grins and gives me another light shove before darting off to go stand in line with Buttons. I automatically scan through the faces of all my brothers. My eyes meet Jack's, and I make my way over to him.  
  
"Morning, Race." He says brightly.  
  
"How's the lady treating you?" I respond with a smirk.  
  
He laughs. "She's keeping me around."  
  
"She's got him trained like a poodle." Crutchie mocks, joining us. "The famous Jack Kelly, not so much as exaggerating a headline."  
  
Jack retorts, bumping Crutchie on the shoulder. As they keep talking about Katherine, as well as some girl that's caught Crutchie's eye, I look through the newsies, trying to find Albert. Normally he's up here with us in the morning.  
  
"Hey, have either o'yous seen Albert?" I ask, cutting off their bantering.  
  
"Nah he hasn't showed up yet." Crutchie replies. He catches the grimace I try to hide off my face. "Why? I'm sure he just woke up late or something. "  
  
"Something wrong?" Jack asks.  
  
"Nah, I'm sure you're right." I say, plastering a smile back on my face.  
  
Crutchie was wrong. Albert never shows up. His last words run through my head the whole day while I'm selling. He promised he'd be here. The whole day I can't shake the feeling like something's off.  
  
I go through about half the day in this trance, giving my customers practiced answer and not noticing their faces, until I'm startled back to reality.  
  
"Heeey, Racer!" Elmer bellows, throwing his arm lazily over my shoulder. "You got any plans tonight?"  
  
"You drunk?" I laugh, placing my own arm around him.  
  
"Nah, I was just thinking you and Albert should come grab some dinner with Buttons and me." He gives Buttons a mischievous smile. Buttons just giggles in reply, his face reddening slightly.  
  
"About that..." I mumble, the smile leaving my face. "I... actually haven't seen Albie today."  
  
"Ya haven't seen Albie?" Buttons repeats. "Damn, Race and Albie have been apart almost a whole day, is the world ending?" Despite his joking tone, I can see concern in his face. It is rare for Al and I to be apart. Last time we went a day without speaking was after a huge fight we had about him living with his horrible mother. I learned the hard way that day not to call her names around him.   
  
"Well," Elmer interjects, "where's he live?"  
  
"What're you thinkin?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows curiously.  
  
"Why don't we go pick him up?" He answers, moving to Buttons and wrapping both his arms around the thinner boy. "I mean we may as well see if he's home. Maybe he's just sick or something."  
  
"Yeah, just one problem with that. His mum's kinda... crazy."  
  
Buttons gives me a knowing look. I raise my eyebrows in question but Elmer speaks up first.  
  
"Maybe we go in through a window." He muses. "Pass right by the muddah, not have to talk to her at all."  
  
I think about it for a second. Albie showed me his house once and his room did have it's own window.  
  
"It's not a bad idea."  
  
I lead them down the maze of streets to where I remember Albie showing me his run down house. We walk in silence, our earlier joviality gone. I can't help how my mind runs through all the possibilities. _What if she hurt him so bad he can't walk? What she messed up his head again and he ran away? What if he's..._  
  
Elmer's hand squeezing my shoulder pulls me back to reality with a start. I look at him through damp eyes. "We're gonna find him, Racer." He gives a small smile, leaning toward me. "Ya know how lazy he is, probably ain't even outta bed yet."  
  
"He said he'd be back, Elm." I whisper, my voice not coming through the lump in my throat. "...He promised he would."  
  
He tries to hide it, but I see Elmer's normally cheery face turn grim. He squeezes my shoulder again before we turn back towards the road.  
  
"It's around back." I say flatly when we reach the place. It's an old dilapidated two story house about 10 blocks from the Lodging House. I notice a broken window on the first floor, through the old rotting fence that couldn't possibly keep anything out.  
  
We shuffle over the fence near the back wall, in a dark corner that the sun doesn't reach.  
  
"I'll keep watch out here, make sure nobody surprises us." Buttons says in a hushed tone.  
  
"Thanks." I grunt as Elmer lifts me up toward the second story window. Once I'm up on the window sill, he looks at me expectantly. "Nah, you stay outside with Buttons. If I get caught, go find Jack and tell him I'm here."  
  
Elmer hesitantly nods.  
  
I put my hands together in a "thank you" gesture, before I turn and gently push the window open and whisper Albie's name softly. As my eyes adjust to the dim light in the dusty room, I make out a ratty old mattress on a rusty bed frame, and a small desk on the other side of the room. Dust particles float around the moldy room. The only source of light I can see comes from this window I'm perched in. _Is this really what Albert comes home to every night?_  
  
I scan over the room one more time, but it's empty. I was hoping he'd be here. I was hoping he was just sick like Elm said. My heart sinks as I realize what I have to do.  
  
I look back down at Elmer and Buttons, give them a slight nod, and crawl through the window, into the house he's told me so much about, the house I always begged him to leave behind, the house of Albert's nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all need an Elmer in our lives, amiright?
> 
> Btw there is a moment in the story that is intertwined with another story that I didn't write called "Elmer gets Sick." (I think?) I hope I'm not stepping on anybody's toes with that... idk
> 
> rip


	3. Pictures

_Is this really where he lives?_  
  
I will never complain about the Lodging House again. Sure, it's cramped, it's always a mess, and it smells like dozens of us boys live there, which we do.  
  
But it's still paradise compared to this. I can barely breathe through all the dust floating around everywhere. There's mold all over the walls, the air is dim and cloying. There's an overwhelming stench of rotting wood, spoiled food, and something else I can't even guess.  
  
I step out of Albert's room into a dark, narrow hallway, covering my mouth and breathing shallowly, fighting with all my might not to gag or let out a cough. If Claudia, Al's mother, is here, I do not want her to know I am.  
  
The hallway is short, leading to a staircase at the end, with two adjoining rooms along the way. My eyes fall on a third door at the opposite end from the staircase and I get a sinking feeling in my gut. I decide to save that room for last.  
  
I steal into the room closest to Al's, carefully inching the door open to avoid letting it creak or groan. A cursory glimpse of the space tells me there's nothing useful here. A table and chair sit at the far end of the little room by the window, and that's it.  
  
I silently stalk into the room nearest the staircase, ignoring the pounding in my chest. This room has no windows, so I take a moment to let my eyes adjust. There's some dusty old coats hanging by the back wall of the tiny room, and more clothing lying all over the floor.  
  
Something sticking out from the pile of clothes catches my eye.. I reach down and pull out a piece of paper, suddenly very surprised at what I see.  
  
_It's me._ On the paper is a detailed drawing of my face. It's very lifelike, well-drawn. It makes me think of when Jack would draw a girl on the back of a pape after spending the night away from the Lodging House. I set down the drawing and notice another under the clothes. It's Elmer. Again the artist has done a remarkable job capturing the lifelike qualities of his face, the joy that he seems to constantly radiate, his bright smile. I curiously pull some of the clothes off the floor to reveal many more hidden drawings. One in particular catches my eye.  
  
Albert's mum, Claudia. Her portrait lacks the vitality of mine and Elmer's. Instead her face is drawn tight, her eyes downcast. She doesn't look like the screaming, angry tyrant that I've always seen her as; instead this drawing makes her look heartbroken. She has a tired look like she was beautiful once, but all her hopes were taken away and crushed. _Is this how he sees her?_  
  
I pick up another, this one a drawing of a man I don't recognize. He has tears running down his face, and he looks to be in complete anguish.  
  
"Who the hell-?" I breathe, picking up another drawing, this one a more distant image of the the man and a boy, both smiling. I pick up yet another one, this one of me, Albert, Elmer, and Buttons, with our arms around each other's shoulders. Another one of me and Albert. One of Albert, Jack, and Crutchie. One of Crutchie holding his "strike" flag that he made on that first day. More drawings of all of us, many of me, almost as many of the man, quite a few of Claudia. I had no idea Al could draw like this. He always insisted he couldn't draw worth a damn.  
  
I pick up one final one off the floor, this one's crumpled up. I smooth it out against the wall and fight down a gasp.  
  
It's me. And Albert. I'm leaning my head on his shoulder, his head leaned on mine and his arm around me. We're sitting on a cot, _that cot._ This is a drawing of _that_ day. The day we met.  
  
"The best thing that ever happened to me." I whisper.  
  
I fold up the drawing and carefully put it in my pocket as I head back out to the hallway. I carefully tread down the stairs, silently begging each step not to groan under my weight.  
  
Amazingly, none of them do. When I reach the bottom, I'm greeted by an empty foyer and kitchen. I can see the front and back doors from here, and pretty much everything in between. Other than the small bathroom near the kitchen, there isn't any walled off space here, no separated rooms.  
  
I hear a soft clinking noise in the kitchen. It could just be a rat, god knows this place is filthy enough for it, but I have to be sure.  
  
I creep toward the source of the noise, near the window. As I come to view of the counter, I see two glasses hung above it, hitting each other ever so softly. I sigh in annoyance.  
  
I give this floor a final once-over to be sure I'm not missing something. Other than the ripped up sofa in the living room and broken table in the kitchen, there's really not much here at all. My heart sinks as I slowly accept that there's only one room in this house that I haven't checked out.  
  
I turn back toward the stairway and stop dead in my tracks as a figure darts past me into the washroom. It's so fast, I can hardly track it, but I manage to catch a few details.  
  
The person was... off, their skin was sickly pale. They made these jerky, sporadic movements as they shuffled toward the room, yet didn't make a sound. It coulda just been how they was moving, but I swear there was something wrong with their limbs, like they were disproportionate.  
  
I don't know why, I don't know what I'm thinking, but suddenly my legs are carrying me toward the washroom that the person just staggered into. I feel my whole body shudder and go numb as I reach the doorway.  
  
Looking inside the room reveals nothing but an empty space. The window is way too small for anybody to crawl out, no matter how flexible. What the hell?  
  
_Al always swore this place was haunted._  
  
I creep back up the steps, heading towards the room I really don't want to enter.  
  
Something about this door has been bothering me ever since I got here, I don't know why. Just the sight of it gives me a sinking feeling in the pit  of my stomach.   
  
I don't want to think about what could be behind that door. But what if he's in there? Whatever's in that room, if he's in there I can't leave him to it.  
  
I reach toward the knob, my hand shaking uncontrollably. I fight a losing battle to keep my breathing even, my heart beating so fast it hurts. As soon as my hand touches the knob, my stomach drops again. I squeeze my eyes shut and steele myself against whatever I'm about to see.  
  
"OLIVER!"  
  
The shout from the other side of the door startles me so much I nearly fall on my ass as I backpedal away from the door.  
  
Its quickly followed by a loud grunt, just a notch bellow a scream, followed by more moans, gasps, and violent crashing sounds.  Al would always tell me about the many different men that would follow Claudia into her bedroom, but I don't recall him ever mentioning her attacking them once inside.  
  
"That whore." I growl under my breath, not that either person behind this door would hear me anyway with all the noise they're making.  
  
Sudden silence. Too sudden. Maybe I've never... been with somebody that way, but I don't need to, to know it doesn't just cut off that fast. Instinctively, I tense up.  
  
"YOU WORTHLESS BASTARD!" She shrieks, loud enough that even through the door it still hurts my ears. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU FILTHY-"  
  
Her unbearable voice is overpowered by the sounds of crashing objects and breaking glass. In the commotion I can hear a male voice screaming back at her. Even with all the raucous, I can tell the voice does not belong to Albert  
  
_Thank god._  
  
I turn back toward Al's room, walking at a fast pace now, since all the commotion in that room will cover my escape anyway. Just as I reach Al's doorway, the door to his mum's room crashes open. I jump and turn to face that direction, feeling adrenaline rush violently through my body. My eyes meet with a man who looks to be somewhere in his thirties. I give him a pleading look and place my finger to my lips.  
  
Then Claudia appears in the doorway behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if Albert's mom has a cannon name.
> 
> Also there will be a chapter about that drawing of how Race and Al met. 
> 
> I have no free time, hence the erratic update schedule... It probably won't get any more consistent...
> 
> Rip


	4. Momentum

I have never jumped backwards so fast. I scuttle into the room and under Albie's ratty mattress as quietly as I can, praying she didn't see me.  
  
"What are you staring at?" Claudia demands from the other room. "I told you to get _out!"_  
  
"Just had to look twice to believe a place really could be this filthy." Oliver grunts back, trudging loudly toward the staircase. I breathe him a silent thank you.  
  
"Get out of my house!" Claudia screams again. I hear several objects crash into the walls as she keeps screaming obscenities at him while he barrels down the stairs and out the front door.  
  
I breathe another silent _thank you_  to the man as I slide out from under the bed.  
  
Claudia continues screaming unbelievably foul words and smashing things in her bedroom. I slowly crawl to the window.  
  
It's shut.  
  
_What the hell?_  
  
I try to pull it back up, but it won't budge. I look outside toward where Elmer and Buttons were waiting for me. They're not there. They've left me?  
  
I give the window one last solid yank, and it gives way so fast that I violently fall backwards, banging my head on the floor.  
  
Through the pulsing in my ears, I hear a gasp from Claudia's room. I try to scramble to my feet, but a wave disorientation pulls me back down to my knees, and I groggily crawl toward the window. My heart sinks.  
  
Its shut again.  
  
How the hell is that possible?  
  
I pull on it with all my might but it doesn't budge this time. I try to summon more strength to try again, but I feel myself start to drift as the corners of my vision blur.  
  
I don't remember falling, but suddenly I'm looking up at the disgusting ceiling. A shock of red appears in the top of my peripheral vision. It reminds me of my best friend, his hair. I think I came here to find him.  
  
I feel myself being lifted up, and I'm vaguely aware of Claudia standing in the doorway on the other side of the room.  
  
As I'm gently lowered onto the bed by... _somebody,_ I hear what sounds like someone shouting downstairs, but it sounds distant, like it's from another world.  
  
"Where is my son?" She asks from the doorway. The malice is gone from her voice and she speaks in a neutral tone.  
  
"Ya think I'd come into this rats nest if I knew?" I groan, wincing at the shooting pain in my head from talking.  
  
"You're all he ever talks about." She responds, as if that will somehow make me know where he is. "I always knew he would try to run away and hide somewhere with you." She pauses "Albert is such a free spirit. I knew I could never fill that void, try as I might. I could never make him happy."  
  
"Make him _happy_?" I spit. "I dont recall you ever trying so much as one time to make him _happy_!"  
  
"Of course someone who doesn't live with us wouldn't see everything I've done." She pouts, sounding almost resigned. "Someone on the outside wouldn't have seen the time I placed my whole life on hold for weeks to nurse my Albert..." I grind my teeth at the way she says _my Albert_ "...back to health. I'm sure if you really care about him like he says you do, then you'd remember that time at least."  
  
"You mean the time he almost died of Pneumonia and you stopped whoring yourself out to feed him? Yes I recall, as a matter of fact, me and another fella are the ones who spent those two weeks goin hungry to get Albie the medicine he woulda died without."  
  
Her face darkens for an instant before she regains her composure. "You must be very proud of yourself. But the fact is, my dear, you simply cannot comprehend what it means to be a mother, or how hard it is to raise a son, especially alone..."  
  
"Neither can you!" I hiss. "Albie has grown into who he is in spite of you, not because of you. All you've done is ruin everything that makes him happy!" I push back the pain in my head and stand up off the bed, facing Claudia. "And now you're going to tell me what the hell you've done with him."  
  
A thin smile forms on her lips. "I've already told you, dearest. I don't know where my son is. Seeing as you're the one who means to poison him against me, I thought you might know where I could find him. I am getting concerned, after all I dont know what I'd do without him." Her face betrays absolutely no concern at all and the sight of it fills my with rage.  
  
"Well then," I growl, "I guess we have nothing left to talk about... _dearest_."  
  
With that I pick up the chair by the bed and hurl it at the window with everything in me. The pane loudly shatters, showing bits of broken glass down the side of the house to the ground below. Claudia shrieks and rushes toward me, and I dart toward the opening in panic.  
  
I move to jump through the broken window, but an unbelievably tight grip on my arm stops me in my tracks. Claudia whips me back around to face her, my back now turned to the window.  
  
"You're not going anywhere until I get back what is mine!" She growls, her voice almost unnaturally low. My arm feels like it's about to snap, she's squeezing it so tight. She pulls back, before sending her fist straight into my jaw. My vision explodes with white and I try to go down to my knees to collect myself, to manage the pain, to make her stop. But her tight grip on my arm forces me to stay upright. "Tell me!" She screams in that ungodly deep voice, before she slams her fist into my stomach. Pain shoots up and down my midsection and I retch, my empty stomach begging for release.  
  
She lands another blow to my face, then another to my stomach. She slams her balled fist into me again, and again, and again. I brace my hands against the window sill behind me, trying to gain enough balance to focus through the pain.  
  
"Please stop." I choke out. "I don't know. Please." My voice leaves me just as my hand finds a piece of broken glass on the ledge behind me.  
  
She raises her fist, and then pauses. "Are you ready to be a nice boy and cooperate now?" She asks politely, her voice returning to the neutral tone from before.  
  
I grip the glass shard tightly, and return my stare to her eyes. "I don't do nice." I whisper, before shoving the glass deep into her arm.  
  
The pained howl she lets out is low and nasally and ear splitting, and I swear it's the most unnatural noise I've ever heard.  
  
I twist the makeshift weapon now buried in her arm until she's forced to let go of me, and then I pull away and back against the window, picking up another glass shard.  
  
From somewhere downstairs I can hear shouting again. Its sounds closer. My heart jumps when I realize its Elmer and Buttons.  
  
"You little-" Claudia grunts, pulling me back to my current predicament. She rushes at me. I instinctively dive to the side, away from the window, and land hard on the wood floor, letting out a cry of pain as I feel a spasm in my ankle.  
  
Claudia, however, is unable to correct her momentum, and crashes into the window sill, slamming her head into the wall. She stumbles for a moment and tries to turn her body towards me, but her foot gets caught on another glass shard.  
  
And then her foot slips. And then she's toppling over, right in the direction of the open window. And then she's outside, on the ground, two stories down.  
  
I try to stand, but my legs give out when I try to put any weight on them.  
  
"It came from in here!" Buttons shouts, before charging into the room. Elmer comes in right on his heels. They both see me at the same time.  
  
"Well hey, fellas." I say with mock cheer, before agony settles into seemingly my whole body at once. All the bruises, possibly broke bones, whatever happened to my head... Now that I'm with my boys and outta danger-at least sort of- I can actually feel my injuries. I double over and try not to whimper or let out any noise; I don't want Elm and Buttons to think I'm weak. I don't succeed.  
  
"Oh my god, Racer!" Elmer gasps, before rushing over and kneeling down beside me. "What did she do to you?" Buttons comes to my other side and they both wrap their arms around me. I lean hard into the contact, relief washing over me like a tidal wave. "I'm so sorry we took so long to get inside." Elmer sobs, leaning his forehead against mine. "Tried to get in sooner."  
  
"Yeah, we're not gonna let her hurt you no more. " Buttons chimes in, rubbing my back with one hand and taking Elmer's hand with the other, effectively closing me into their circle. "Where is she?"  
  
I point toward the window, leaving my head resting against Elmer's and feeling his breath mix with mine. "She wanted some fresh air." I mutter.  
  
Buttons lets go of me and Elmer to stand up and look out the shattered window, and Elmer sits back pulls me into his arms, leaning my head against his chest. Buttons lets out a low whistle at the scene outside. Elmer shifts to give him a questioning look.  
  
"Well I don't think we'll have to worry about her no more." He murmurs.  
  
Elmer nods. "Racer." He whispers down into my ear. "We gotta get outta here, can you walk?"  
  
I nod, and pull myself to stand, before collapsing back into Elmer's arms. I whimper at the pain shooting through my head and ankle.  
  
"Take that as a 'no.'" Elmer sniffles, tightening his grip on me.  
  
Buttons comes back to us as Elmer picks me up into his arms. El's such crybaby I always forget just how strong he really is.  
  
"You're gonna be okay, Race." Buttons soothes, stroking my cheek. "We got you, you're gonna be fine. It's okay. "  
  
"Sorry." I mutter as my vision starts to darken. "Shouldn't have risked you both. Coulda got hurt. Got taken like..." I trail off, burying my face in Elmer's shoulder and squeezing Buttons's hand.  
  
They keep shushing me and whispering comforting words to me as my world, and the pain, finally fades out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, like Elmer and Buttons, pretty much the best thing ever.
> 
> I'm sorry it takes me like eons to post anything ever, thank you so much for all the hits and likes and encouragement, I'll try to be more punctual but my life is a scheduling nightmare, so... that. 
> 
> If you have things you wanna see more of, characters you wanna see more of, interactions you wanna see more of, plz COMMENT and tell me, I love prompts and ideas and feedback.


	5. Welcome to the Refuge

Nobody ever sees me cry.  
  
When I was fourteen, the Spider carted me off to the refuge for a cigar I swiped. I never thought anywhere could be worse than my own home. What could possibly be worse than watching my father talk to himself, hit my mom, say things I still try to forget?  
  
As it turns out, there is a place worse than home. A place where fat old men can beat you, say whatever they want to you, starve you, and leave you to die on the cold floor. A place infested with rats that are a little too bold, especially at night.  
  
My first night there I lay in a cot, covered in bruises, with a burn on my shoulder. Snyder thought it poetic to punish me for my cigar theft by using it for an ashtray.  
  
I lay there, shivering in the cold, sore all over, my shoulder still burning. His repugnant words played on repeat in my head, making me feel worthless, dirty... wishing I had died with my mum.  
  
I lay there holding in my sobs. Hot tears flowed down my face onto to dingy sheet below me.  
  
I flinched when I felt a hand gently touch my not burned shoulder, and jerked around to face a redhead boy around my age.  
  
Nobody ever sees me cry, but tonight he did.  
  
"You okay?" He whispered tentatively.  
  
I felt my face flush. "Do I look okay?"  
  
"Dumb question I guess." He shrugged. "You want some company?"  
  
"What do you care?" I demanded, but it wasn't very fierce when my voice cracked every other syllable, "what do you want from me?"  
  
"I guess I wanted some company myself." He looked down, a hollow look on his face. "I'll leave you alone if you want."  
  
I opened my mouth to tell him to shove off, but something in his eyes stopped me. He looked so defeated and lonely. In that moment I realized I was seeing the same look that must've been in my own eyes.  
  
"Nah." I whispered. I moved over and gestured for him to sit next to me "how'd you end up in here?"  
  
"Picked a fight with Morris Delancey." He answered proudly as he shuffled to sit next to me. The cot was pretty small so we were forced to press against each other to sit, and I could feel how warm he was. "He stole a marble my mum gave me, so I punched his lights out. The Spider was watchin us apparently. He wasn't too happy."  
  
My brows furrowed. "The Spider?"  
  
"Ah, Mr Snyder, the police captain that runs this place. The charming man who brought you in and did... this to you." He gingerly touched my shoulder near the burn. "What... why..."  
  
"I stole a cigar." I snapped, looking away from him. I tried to hold my tears back at the thought of Snyder's awful words as he burned my shoulder.  
  
The boy asked nothing further, instead wrapping his arm around my shoulders. Despite not knowing this boy at all, relief flooded into me at the tender contact, the exact opposite of what I'd just endured at Snyder's hands. I rested my head on his shoulder and he rested his head on mine. Instantly the cold felt less biting. "What's your name?"  
  
"Albert. Dasilva. What's yours?"  
  
"Okay Albie." I heard him scoff at the nickname. "My name's Anthony Higgins."  
  
"Okie dokie, Tony. Welcome to the Refuge."  
  
Something- maybe the relief of his presence, or the exhaustion, maybe the pain, maybe the humiliation of getting soaked by Snyder, or hell, just of being in this filthy place- something was just too much, and no matter how much I fought back the tears, they came anyway, and boy did they come in force. I shuddered and sobbed violently as I croaked out a halfhearted "thanks a lot."  
  
Albie just squeezed my shoulders and rubbed my neck as I sat there bawling my eyes out. "Yeah, this place is the worst." He whispered, "but don't worry, we'll be out soon."  
  
"Promise?" I whimpered, feeling a lot less uncomfortable than I would've expected, being so vulnerable with this stranger.  
  
He squeezed my shoulder again reassuringly. "Promise."  
  
I hear a voice coming from... somewhere. " _I think he's coming to. Racer. Racer! Can you hear me??_ "  
  
I try to focus in on the voice. Its starting to get closer but it's still muddy.  
  
"Albie?" I groan. "Al, I'm here..."  
  
" _He's still out of it._ "  
  
" _Careful, he got soaked pretty good._ "  
  
Albie's soothing presence starts to fade away as the other voices get clearer. I fight to hold onto him.  
  
"Racer, try to look at me."  
  
Not Albie. I'm not sitting with Albie. I'm not talking to Albie. Tears sting my eyes as his image leaves my head.  
  
"Jack?" As I breathe out his name, it all starts to come into focus. His face starts to fade in from the fog, along with Elmer's, Finch's, and Henry's.  
  
I'm not in the Refuge, on the cot with Albie. I'm not trapped in that house with his mother either.  
  
I'm in the lodging house. I'm safe.  
  
And he's still gone.


	6. Ultimatum

  _"You're all he ever talks about."_  
  
_"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Racer."_  
  
_"Racer and Albert haven't seen each other for a day, is the world ending?"_  
  
_"I knew he'd try to run away with you."_  
  
_"I need you, Anthony."_  
  
**_"SUBMIT!"_**  
  
I jolt upright, violently trying to suck air into my lungs.  
  
"Race, it's okay. I got ya, you're safe." Elmer says quickly. He puts one hand on my shoulder and runs my back with the other while I catch my breath.   
  
"Albie... Claudia... El, what happened after I blacked out?"  
  
He hesitates. "Claudia's dead, Racer."  
  
I breathe a sigh of relief, though I feel guilty being relieved that somebody's dead. "Albert? Elmer, please tell me he's okay."  
  
He looks down. "He wasn't in the house. You were the only one we found. Jack took Buttons and Finch to follow... a lead Jack heard about, but they're not expecting-"  
  
"What lead?" I say, cutting him off, "Where?"  
  
"Race," Elmer whispers. "Jack told me not to tell you, said he didn't want you goin and takin the risk while you're all busted up-"  
  
I forcefully grip his shoulder. "Elmer, if it were Buttons, would you accept that?" I demand. He looks down again. "Please. I can't just sit here. Jack doesn't know him like I do, he doesn't know how he thinks."  
  
Elmer looks me intently in the eye and tightens his grip on my shoulder. "Do you feel healed up enough to make it worth the risk? Don't lie to me Race, she busted you up pretty good."  
  
I sit back and take inventory of my body. My stomach feels pretty sore where she gut punched me, and my ankle feels a little tender. I put some pressure on it just to see, and it seems like it'll bear my weight fine, so it's not broke. The pounding in my head is gone, but my jaw still feels a little stiff. All in all, I've had a lot worse from the Delanceys.   
  
"I'm fine other than my jaw. Tell me where Jack went."  
  
He takes a second to decide if he really should tell me. "He didn't say where it is." He says finally. "Only that he'd found out where Albert's father lives. Jack and the other fellas were gonna see if he was there. You told me Al never met his father so it's a long shot, but we didn't know what else to try."  
  
"Did he say anything else?"   
  
El bites his lip. "He said not to let you leave the lodging house."  
  
I roll my eyes. "Right. Are you and Buttons okay? Did anything else happen while we were at the house?"  
  
He shakes his head. "Buttons said he saw somebody in a washroom downstairs, but he looked through the house again while I was carryin you here, saw nothin. He thinks the place is haunted."   
  
"Wouldn't surprise me." I mutter. "And there was nothing else in the house? Nothing to give any idea where he could be?"  
  
"Nah. Buttons did find a bunch of pictures Albie drew. Never knew he was so talented." He gives me a look I can't quite read. "Quite a few of you in there."  
  
I look down, suddenly very uncomfortable for some reason.   
  
"Hey," he says, taking my chin, "we'll get him back. I promise."  
  
I look in his eyes for a minute, wishing I felt as confident as he looked. I nod, before standing up. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up before they get back."  
  
Elmer nods just as the door opens. Jack enters, followed by Finch and Buttons.   
  
"Jack? Did you find him?" I ask, forgoing any kind of greeting.  
  
He looks at me sadly. "Sorry Race." He sits down in a chair next to the cot, while Finch leans against the wall and Buttons moves to sit next to Elmer on the other bed.  
  
I move to the window and look outside. Light streams in between the city skyline, looks like it's still pretty early.   
  
"How long was I out?"  
  
"All of yesterday." Buttons says. "We had to go back out and sell, but Elmer stayed so he could watch over you."  
  
"And Buttons and Jack stayed out sellin late so they could get us some food." El adds. "You didn't fully wake up till this morning but every once in a while you muttered somethin in your sleep. You even started screaming once."  
  
"Sorry." I whisper, turning back to them. "Thank you for everything you did for me."  
  
"We're not giving up." Jack says reassuringly. "We will find him, we just don't have anywhere else to look yet."  
  
"Yeah," I agree. "You should all head out to the distribution gate while theres time. As long as we don't have any more leads, there's no use sitting around here."  
  
"I'll stay with you while you heal up." El interjects.   
  
"That's okay, I'm fine-"  
  
"No, I don't want you to be alone right now." Jack says sternly. "I don't want to lose another one of you. Elmer, I can stay with him so you can start sellin-"  
  
"I'm fine." I interrupt, annoyed. "If it'll make you feel better I'll go out and sell, I don't need anybody to sit here and babysit me."   
  
Jack gives me a dubious look. He knows me too well. He knows I'll do anything not to accept help.  
  
"You really feel well enough for that?" He asks.   
  
"Yeah, my jaw's just stiff. Gettin fresh air will probably heal me up faster anyways. And I got a better chance of findin out more about what happened to Albie out there than I do in here."  
  
"He's got a point." Elmer says to Jack. He turns to me. "Will you at least stick with me and Buttons for today though?"  
  
I nod, secretly relieved at the company.   
  
Jack tosses me a 50 cent piece. "If you find out anything, come find me. No goin off on your own." He says in a tone that invites no argument.   
  
"Deal."  
  
The working day feels endless. Me, Elmer, and Buttons sell less because we're all together constantly, and the pressure in my jaw and ankle frequently disrupt my focus.  
  
Not mention there's reminders of him everywhere. A small deli where we often grab a bite together when we have time, an ice cream shop we'd go to sometimes to escape the heat, the building we sat on top of during my birthday that one time...  
  
A set of heavy footsteps behind me pulls me out of my nostalgia.   
  
"If it isn't the Racetrack Higgins." I hear a familiar voice growl. I feel my stomach drop as my eyes dart to Elmer's. His eyes are wide with shock.  
  
_It's not real, it's not real._  
  
We both turn slowly around, and there he is, just him, no sign of his other half.  
  
"Oh dear me," I drawl mockingly, trying to hide a deep panic I don't remember setting in. "What is that unpleasant aroma?"  
  
"Don't know." He sneers, "Sure hope it's not your friend's corpse rotting in a dumpster somewhere."  
  
I ball my hands into fists.  
  
"What do ya want, Morris?" Elmer demands, putting his hands firmly on my shoulders as if to say "don't do something we'll regret."  
  
"Payback." He smirks. "You little delinquents coulda just taken the jacked up price and behaved yourselves, but instead you had to 'make a statement' and ruin everything."  
  
"There's three of us and one of you." I snarl. "Not that I'd need either of them."  
  
Morris laughs, stepping closer to me. "Relax, hothead, I'm not here to soak ya..." he looks me up and down, smirking, "least not today."  
  
"Wiesel still works the gate, the papes still run, you and your brother still got jobs, why do ya still hate us so much?" Elmer demands.  
  
He turns to El, his face darkened. "Because I don't like being told 'no' by a group of snot-nosed kids who think they got a right to be treated like God's gift." He turns his intense stare back toward me. "Racer, I know you wouldn't wanna see anything happen to that... exquisitely stubborn friend of yours. I also know Jack would do just about anything for you. I know he'd disband this 'union' he's thrown together and go back on everything he's said, if you begged him to."  
  
"Why the hell would I do that?" I hiss.  
  
"I know you're wondering where Oscar is." He sighs happily. "The way ya keep looking every which way for him, as if he's gonna pop out behind and corner ya. As much as we'd love that, somebody had to stay back and keep Albert company."  
  
_No_.  
  
"Albert?" Buttons whispers.   
  
"He's been our guest." Morris continues, leaning closer to me, "I've really been enjoying gettin to know him better. I told Oscar not to be too rough with him while I was gone, but he's itchin so bad to make Albert break, who knows what he's doing with him-"  
  
I lunge forward, my fist connects with his jaw before either of us even have time to process anything.   
  
Morris looks up, his eyes full of rage. But he never even has a chance to get back up. I throw a kick at his stomach, which sends him to his hands and knees. Then I punch him again, and again, and again, and again.  
  
Nothing. I see nothing anymore except red. I'm vaguely aware of Buttons and Elmer somewhere in the background, yelling at me, but I don't hear words.   
  
I'm pulled out of my blind rage by El snapping me up by my arm and punching me in the cheek. It's not a hard impact, just enough to bring me back to reality.  
  
"I said stop!" He screams at me. "We don't know where Al is, this trash..." he gestures toward a bloody Morris, "does, and we'll never find out if you _kill him_ , Race!"  
  
"Listen to him, Tony." Morris sputters out from the ground. My blood runs cold at hearing him say _that_ nickname. "Ain't nobody gonna be around to hold Oscar back if I'm dead. Ya don't want Albert on the receiving end of that, do ya?"  
  
"What... do you want?" I grind out between my teeth?   
  
He smiles up at me with bloody teeth. "Don't worry about that just yet. You'll be giving me plenty of what I want soon. For now I'll just take your friend-" he points to Buttons, "back with me, as payment for my horrible pain and suffering you've caused me today."  
  
Button's face goes white.  
  
"Like hell you will." Elmer growls.  
  
"He's not going anywhere with you." I add.  
  
"Well if that's how you want it." Morris chuckles, picking himself up off the ground. "Guess I'll just have to let Oscar have his way with Albert then. I wonder how long he'll survive. Probably a good long while, Oscar likes to take things slow." Morris gives me another grin that churns my stomach.  
  
"No... I'll go with you." I say quickly. "I did this. Punish me for it."  
  
"As much as I'd love some quality time with you," he responds, "I need you free to talk to Jack later. He'll listen to you."  
  
"You're not taking Buttons anywhere." Elmer insists. "Take me instead. I'm not letting him go with you, do whatever you want to me." I turn to him and shake my head.   
  
"All these fellas wantin to go with me." Morris muses. "Sorry, Elmer. I'll be sure you and I get caught up later but right now its Buttons... or Albert dies."  
  
"Please." I plead. "This was me, I'm sorry, Morris. If you have ta take someone, take me, he didn't do anything. Please don't hurt him." I can't believe I'm pleading with Morris Delancey. The pleasure on his face makes a lump form in my throat, along with a deep humiliation I never could've imagined.   
  
"Now you see what happens when you don't control that beautiful little attitude of yours." He says, taking my chin. I feel tears sting my eyes. "Buttons comes with me, or I kill Albert."  
  
"Okay, stop." Buttons says. "I'll go with you, just don't hurt Al."  
  
Morris keeps his eyes locked on me. Elmer continues to object until Buttons grabs his hands and kisses him.  
  
"It's okay." He whispers to Elmer's cheek. "Jack will get this figured out." He kisses him again. "Jestem twój, Eliasz. Zawsze."  
  
"Kocham cię." Elmer sobs. "Znajdę cię."  
  
"Buttons" I plead.  
  
"It's okay." He says, locking eyes with me. "Just don't forget to come back for me, yeah?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
"Well then," Morris chimes, putting his hand on the small of Button's back and steering him away from us. "Time for us to go meet Albert and Oscar, wouldn't you say?"   
  
Buttons just looks at him coldly as they start to walk. Morris turns back.  
  
"One more thing, Race. Try to follow us, and I kill Al and Buttons both."  
  
With that, he turns and walks with Buttons, my friend, and Elmer's world, taking him away from us, to whatever dark place he's hidden Albert from me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been like all the months since I updated. I have no time. Ever. It probably won't change.
> 
> Sorry.


	7. Dissolution

 "Elmer, I'm so s-"  
  
" 'S not you're fault." He glares intently off in the distance where they disappeared from. "I'm gonna kill him, Race. I'm gonna kill both of 'em." His still balled fists start to shake as he brings them down to his sides. "If something happens to Buttons, I swear to god..."  
  
"I won't that happen." I tentatively place my hand on his shoulder. "I won't let it happen. I'll do whatever I have to. I promise."  
  
He turns his gaze to me, his jaw set, eyes fix me in a hard glare. I've never seen him look like this; the softness gone from his face, the easy, welcoming look missing from his eyes. "This isn't just yours anymore." He puts one of his still shaking hands on mine and interlaces our fingers. "Buttons is mine. I'm not letting you take this on your own, not anymore. You need me, we need Jack, we need the others... and I'm not letting Morris take you away from me too. No going off on your own this time, Race."  
  
I slowly nod, feeling a knot loosen in my stomach. I feel some relief at not having to handle this alone, but what if something happens to him? Albie is my other half, he's part of me and every second the thought of finding him gets further and further away.  
  
But Elm is my best friend, he's supported me through all this, he's gone out of his way to keep me from getting myself killed. He's been there with me every morning, every day. He's something I can't imagine not existing in my world. If something happens to either of them...  
  
"We look out for each other. No matter what comes next, no matter what the other fellas say. If we do this, we do it together. For Buttons, and Albie. And us."  
  
He holds my gaze for a moment, then nods. "We gotta find Jack. Morris was right about one thing, he'll listen to you."  
  
I nod, and we start heading off towards the lodging house. Somehow we manage to sell off our last few papes on our way, just as the sun starts to set.  
  
"He wants me to disband the union?" Jack gapes, incredulous.  
  
"Sounds like it." Elmer fumes, still looking like he's ready to kill somebody.  
  
"It doesn't make any sense." Crutchie says. "The Delanceys ain't in jail, they ain't outta work. The only one who got put away is Snyder. Why would they care about us now?"  
  
"Morris didn't take kindly to being challenged." I answer flatly. "Wants to teach me- all of us- a lesson."  
  
"I say we teach him and his brother a lesson." Elmer growls. "One they never walk away from."  
  
Jack gives me a concerned look. I nod slightly. "He expects me to beg you to do it." I say. "On the strength of him having Albie, and now Buttons, he expects me to push you to call everybody off. I say when he comes to you to discuss his terms, we hold him here and force him to tell us where they're keeping them."  
  
"It's a thought." Jack muses. "You already soaked him pretty good, though, Racer. What if we can't get him to talk?"  
  
"Give me five minutes with him." Elmer grunts. "He'll beg to give them back to us."  
  
"No, Jack's has a point." Crutchie says. "Brute force has never been enough to win over the Delanceys. Remember what happened during the strike?"  
  
"He's right, Elm." Jack agrees. "I know how much you care about Buttons and Al, but we gotta be a little more calculating about this one."  
  
"So what can we do, give 'em what they want?" I ask.  
  
"Yes." Elmer says, his eyes brightening.  
  
"My thoughts exactly." Crutchie agrees, nodding at Elmer.  
  
"Did I miss something?" I ask.  
  
"Think about it Race. We give 'em what they want." Elmer says.  
  
"Or rather," Crutchie reasons, "we let 'em see us giving "em what they want."  
  
"A ruse." Jack chimes in. "We give them a facade of us grudgingly cooperating. We get them to sell out where they're holding our fellas, or we at least buy time to find them ourselves."  
  
"There's one problem with that, Jack..." I mutter, looking down. "They could be anywhere."  
  
"Not anywhere." Crutchie says softly, taking my shoulder. "Think about it. The Delanceys don't own everything. All we have to do is find out where they've holed up, they can't be keeping the fellas far from wherever that is."  
  
"Jack!" Henry hollers, racing into the room. "Somethin's happenin. You gotta come outside."  
  
"Well, what is it, Henry?" Jack demands. "What's wrong?"  
  
He hesitates. "It's... Delancey. He's here with... others. Lots of others." He turns and runs downstairs without another word. Jack gives me a worried look before the four of us hurry down after Henry. My breath hitches as soon as we're out the front door.  
  
There, still bruised and beat up, stands Morris, again wearing that god-awful smirk.  
  
That's not what makes my stomach drop though. It's the forty or so kids standing behind him. They're dressed like newsies, like us. But I don't see any faces I recognize, from Manhattan or Brooklyn.  
  
And a lot of 'em are carrying wooden boards, sharpened metal pieces, and other makeshift weapons.  
  
I lean over to Crutchie. "Get inside and get everybody out of here now."  
  
He quickly obliges, taking Elmer with him. "Remember what you promised." He whispers in my ear before turning and following Crutchie inside.  
  
"Morris, what a... pleasure to see ya." Jack announces with not a trace of joviality.  
  
"And you, the famous Jack Kelley." He responds, the smirk never leaving.  
  
"I hear you got two of my boys. Why don't you bring 'em back here and then you and I can talk?"  
  
Morris chuckles and shakes his head. "Sorry Jack. I'm not here for a conversation. I'm here to give you a message."  
  
Jack raises a questioning eyebrow.  
  
"I'm here..." Morris declares, raising his voice, "to obtain your surrender. This union you run, Kelley, it's time for that to end. Kids all over are demanding higher wages, fewer work hours, and quite honestly the demands are getting outta hand."  
  
"What's that to you?" I snap. "How is any of that your problem?"  
  
He looks me up and down once, then winks before continuing on as if I didn't say anything. "So what's it gonna be, Jack? Can we put this foolishness to an end, will you make the responsible choice and call your boys to see reason?"  
  
Jack steps closer to him. "Tell me what you've done with Albert and Buttons, and then we'll talk."  
  
"I think you know that's not gonna happen, Jack."  
  
"I'm not doing anything until I at least get to talk to them."  
  
Morris grins wider. "I was hoping you'd be more open to compromise, but it's clear to me now you won't be civil." He turns to the mass behind him. I fall into a defensive stance, feeling my body tense up. "I have no choice." Morris announces smugly. "Do it, boys."  
  
Three of the Newsie-dressed Scab kids behind Morris rush forward, straight for me and Jack. I dive roll to the side as one boy swings down a plank, aiming for my head. I throw a kick out of my roll that connects with his jaw, throwing him back into the group of angry kids behind him.  
  
Jack knocks one boy back, and then spins the other one and throws him into the now advancing crowd coming toward us.  
  
"Inside, now!" He barks.  
  
We dart in the door that Finch is holding open. He closes it as soon as we dive in, Henry and Jojo bracing chairs and tables against it.  
  
"How many are still inside?" I pant.  
  
"Crutch got all the little newsies out the back. Jack he said he's takin' them to the 'hiding place', said you'd know."  
  
Suddenly I hear a loud bang against the door. Then another, and another. Pretty soon we're surrounded by a cacophony of crashes and knocks as the Scabs try to force their way into our safehouse from all sides.  
  
"Yeah, we'll all go together and meet 'em." Jack shouts over the ruckus. "Then I gotta go see Kath and her father. We're gonna need their help with this one."  
  
"Where's Elmer, Mush, Blink, Tommy Boy, the rest of them?" I ask.  
  
"Elmer went up to get 'em." Jojo says. "Race, we should-"  
  
A loud CRASH from upstairs cuts him off. I feel my blood run cold as I see the color drain from Jojo's face. Without another word, we dart up the stairs.  
  
Mush is at one of the windows in the hallway, trying to fight back three boys climbing their way in. One of them sweeps under his leg and brings him down, then the three of them start kicking him while he's on the floor.  
  
They took Albert, then they threatened us, and now they're here soaking my brothers in our own house. We never asked for this, we never did anything to deserve this.  
  
And in this moment, all I hear is blood pulsing in my temples. I don't hear Jojo screaming for Mush as we sprint towards him. I don't hear the other newsies, yelling, grunting, crying out, as they fight back the attack in other part of the house. I don't see the kids from Morris's little Scab army breaking in from all sides, destroying what little we've built here. All I see is the three Scabs beating up a defenseless Mush.  
  
I crash into one of them at full sprinting speed, knocking him into the wall behind him. His arm hits the wall first and I hear a sickening crack. He howls loudly and reaches for the arm, which is now bent completely backwards. I take the back of his neck and lever his head into the wall as hard as I can, wincing at the dull smack it makes against the wood. The boy falls to the ground and doesn't move.  
  
Jojo tackled the second boy just a split second after I took the first one, so just one remains, focused solely on me now. He moves away from a bloody and bruised Mush, who lies sobbing on the floor.  
  
"You shouldn't have done that." The boy says, circling me. I move to stay level with him. "We're not going to let you win this. I've killed to stay alive."  
  
"So have I." I growl.  
  
He tilts his head in surprise, before lunging at me. I throw my hands to his shoulders and flip myself over his head, using the momentum from my landing to yank him off his feet and onto the floor. I give him one punch to the jaw which knocks him out cold.  
  
The fella Jojo tackled knocks him against a wall, sending him sprawling. The large boy mounts Jojo and raises his fist to strike him. I grab his wrist and twist as hard as I can. For a second I could swear I hear the snap echo through the entire house.  
  
The boy yells in rage and swings at me with his good arm. Jojo is now swinging from underneath him, throwing him off balance, so I easily sidestep the jab, before throwing my foot at the side of his head and sending him crashing into the wall. He falls limp.  
  
Down the other end of the hall, I see a dark-haired Scab choking a new Newsie just a little younger than me. I can't remember his name. I watch, helpless as the Scab backs him up against the wall and stabs him. The smaller boy makes eye contact with me, before his head falls limp and the Scab callously tosses his body off to the side. A blond boy next to him kicks the kids lifeless body.  
  
Jojo rushes over to Mush and helps him up.  
  
"Get him outta here." I order. I'll help everyone else, you two just go!"  
  
They climb out the window and head down. I sprint through the second floor, dodging several angry attackers. I pass each room checking for any of my brothers, relieved to find all the rooms empty. I turn and head toward the window Jojo and Mush crept out of. And my heart sinks.  
  
Four boys stand in front of it, staring straight at me. One of them is the dark haired boy that stabbed the Newsie.  
  
"Goin so soon?" The dark-haired boy sneers. He stalks toward me, eyeing me up and down. "Morris told me to have some fun with you. He wanted me to let you escape, but I just don't know if I can restrain myself that much." He smirks. "I saw how you handled my boys earlier. I love a challenge."  
  
"Then I'm the best thing that ever happened to you." I mutter, throwing a kick toward his head. He's so much quicker than he looks, grabbing my leg and pulling me down to the ground. He straddles me and grabs my hair, holding my head down against the floor. I try to push him off me, throw him off balance, something. Nothing works, I can't even get him to budge.  
  
"Here I was thinking you'd be fun." He says. He slowly, smugly reaches into my shirt pocket while I struggle against him. He pulls out a cigar. "Hey Thrasher, gimme a light."  
  
"Sure thing, Crusher." The blond boy behind him grins. He strikes a match and holds it to my cigar.  
  
"That's better." Crusher says, leaning in close enough I can smell mint on his breath. "What's the point of carryin this thing around if ya never light it." He whispers, putting the cig in his mouth and taking a drag.  
  
"Gives me somethin to do with my hands." I reply, refusing to break eye contact.  
  
He scoffs, blowing the smoke in my face. "I like you. You's a tough little guy." He takes the cigar out of his mouth and holds it close to my cheek. "I could use a fella like you, if you're interested."  
  
I smile. "If ya like me so much, tell me where you're holdin our boys, then I'll think about it."  
  
He chuckles again. "Nice try." He lowers the cigar closer to my cheek. I can feel the heat radiating off the end. "Wish it didn't have to be this way, I really do like you."  
  
"Stop!" I hear Elmer call. I look up and see him standing a few feet away. He runs and throws all his weight in to a kick aimed right at Crusher's head. The impact sends him stumbling off me and back onto the floor. I pull myself up next to Elmer and we square off against Thrasher and the other two boys.  
  
They unceremoniously saunter toward us. Thrasher throws a punch that I easily dodge, and Elmer sends him a kick in the pants. He tries to duck and swipe at El, but I punch him in the jaw and he falls. One of the fellas behind him rushes me, a boy with a sharp, fox-like face. He takes a couple of swings at me that lack any conviction. I dive roll around and try to catch him on the side, but he's so much faster than anyone I've ever fought. He jumps and twists through the air, catching my cheek with the edge of his boot. The barely stings at all, but it causes me to lose my balance and come crashing down.  
  
Across the floor, Elmer wrestles the other Scab to the ground. Elmer is a lot bigger than the boy, and he easily overpowers him and wrests the shiv away.  
  
I turn back to the fox-faced boy who's now holding a wooden plank. He swings it down fast and I twist out of the way, dodging it by less than half an inch. I hop up quickly, eyeing my opponent carefully. There's no smirk, no amusement, no joy in his face like his comrades have. His gaze is focused, calculating, and somewhat hesitant.  
  
"Ya don't look like you wanna be here." I say carefully, shifting slowly towards Elmer, who's now got the other Scab in a headlock. "You don't have to do this. You can just walk away, we won't hurt you. We'll forget this ever happened."  
  
The boy says nothing, just stares at me, his violet eyes full of indecision. Crusher starts to move over in the corner.  
  
I open my mouth to try and reason with the fox-boy further, but a loud WHOOSH takes away any words forming in my throat.  
  
All four of us still conscious look in the direction the sound came from. The wall over by the window is on fire.  
  
"What the hell..." Elmer grunts, before the boy in his arms elbows him in the ribs, making him lose his hold. He throws a punch which Elmer only sorta dodges. They start sparing again, both trying to get to the boy's knife that he dropped.  
  
I move to help Elmer when something whistles past my ear and hits the wall right behind me with a thud. I look back to see a small knife sticking out of the wall. I look back at the fox-faced kid. He gives me a warning look as if to say "don't move". In his hand is another knife like the one in the wall behind me.  
  
As the room heats up from the growing fire, I have the strange notion that maybe the boy hit the wall on purpose, throwing the knife just away from my head.  
  
We stare at each other for a moment, but then I'm brought out of it by the loud CRASH of a shattering window. Me and the boy both look in the direction of the sound to see the fire growing fast, making it's way down the hallway toward us.  
  
I turn back to him, raising my hands in truce. "I'm not gonna hurt you. If we just stand here this fire will kill us both." Off to the side I see the other Scab fighting Elmer, picking up his shiv that he dropped.  
  
Fox-boy stares at me for a moment. He then pulls out another throwing knife. I reflexively back up and put my hands out in front of me. Rather than throwing it at me, though, he throws it at Elmer and the boy he's fighting. The knife collides with the boy's hand, causing him to fall to his knees and drop his own weapon. Elmer picks it up and stands menacingly over him. I look back at the fox-boy. He gives me a sly half-smile before darting down the hall and jumping through a window.  
  
The fire is just feet away from us now. I'm sure its engulfed over half the lodging house.  
  
"Elmer!" I croak. I run towards him, but I feel myself get picked up and thrown into the wall behind me. All the smoke-filled air leaves my lungs and I gasp desperately.  
  
I look up at Crusher, now awake, enraged, standing over me. He stands me up against the wall before Elmer appears behind and jams the shiv into his throat. He stumbles back and Elmer yanks the weapon out of the wound, spraying blood all over himself.  
  
"Don't worry, Crusher." I gasp. "I'll let Morris know you did what he said."  
  
With that, Crusher falls, attempting to crawl away. A stray spark leaves the inferno behind us and catches him, setting him ablaze.  
  
I grab Elmer's hand. "Let's go!"  
  
He gestures to the stairway, now consumed in flames. "We can't make it down that."  
  
I look back at the last remaining room up here that isn't on fire. "The window."  
  
We run towards the door. Elmer reaches for the knob, when a hand grabs his arm and jerks him around.  
  
Thrasher pulls Elmer close and stabs him in the side with one of the throwing knives. I scream and push him back away from us. As he stumbles back, one of the beam supports in the ceiling gives way. The flaming plank falls on Thrasher's head. He falls and is immediately set ablaze. I wince as he shrieks in pain.  
  
I turn back to Elmer, he's sickly green and looks barely awake. "Elm, stay with me. Please." I pull his arm around my shoulder and turn to the door. I reach out and grab the knob. The door doesn't budge. I pull harder and harder. To my dismay, the thing doesn't move even slightly.  
  
"That won't work." A voice calls out behind me. I turn and look at the Scab Elmer overpowered earlier. "I already tried." He comes over to us and wraps Elmer's other arm over his shoulder. "I think we have to go down."  
  
"Through that?" I gesture toward the flaming stairs, not bothering to question why this boy is now helping me. "Do you want all three of us to burn to death?"  
  
He points toward a spot a few feet away from us. I follow his gaze and notice a hole in the floor. "I think we can make it down. But most of the floor's on fire now, we have to move fast."  
  
We drag Elmer with us to the hole. I look down it and feel a wave of blistering heat on my face.  
  
"You first." He says. "Once you're on the floor I'll lower Elmer down and you can catch him."  
  
I squeeze my eyes shut, take a deep breath, and hop down through the hole, landing square in the kitchen. Pretty much everything is on fire except the tile floor and stone countertops. My clothes instantly stick to my skin in the suffocating heat.  
  
I look up expectantly. The kid lowers Elmer as gently as he can. I hop up on the counter and take Elmer's legs, slowly guiding him down. Ignoring the agonizing heat on my feet, I wrap my arms around his waist.  
  
"Got him!" I call. The boy lets Elmer go and I put my arms around him to steady him. "Come on!" I yell up to the boy, not waiting around to see if he does. I drag Elmer towards the kitchen door, which leads outside. The boy lands with a thud behind us and limps to Elmer's other side. We carry him to the door and I put my hand on the knob.  
  
Blinding pain. I hiss and pull my hand back. The knob is glowing orange. "Window." I choke out, dropping Elmer's arms and looking for something to smash the window with. My eyes fall on a chair at the kitchen table.  
  
The only small problem is the thing is on fire. I take a breath, steel myself against what I'm about to do, and reach for the chair.  
  
It hurts more than anything I've ever felt in my life. I could never have imagined how painful it is to touch something that is on fire. I quickly raise the chair, and hurl at the window with everything in me. To my relief, the glass shatters. I shriek as agony as my hands start to throb more intensely than I've ever thought possible.  
  
The boy comes up beside me with Elmer and I take his arm again. We crawl over the burning surface of the counter, both of us screaming now. The flames are right behind us, flooding the spot we stood just seconds ago. The boy pushes Elmer clear of the house to the ground outside. He crawls out next. I plant my feet on the windowsill just as it catches flame.  
  
And hurl myself into the cool night air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhhh I know it's unrealistic to think Newsies would actually have crazy ninja-fighting skills like that, but I wanted it in there so... that.

**Author's Note:**

> I will continue this, I have no idea on what schedule.
> 
> This is gonna be rough (especially for Albert. And Race. And Elmer. And everybody).
> 
> I'm sorry.


End file.
